This is our Story
by pheonixfire00
Summary: The start of my AU storyline. The history of the Phoenix spirit that inhabits the God Phoenix warship, assembling the Science Ninja team, a Galactor plot that is actually well thought out and sinking in a river that shouldn't exist. The God Phoenix tells us the story that started this all off.
1. The past and early years

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gatchaman. If I did, I would change nothing._

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It was a quiet area, a lush and green forest surrounding a bench. The sounds of birds and a running river echoed throughout, giving it a peaceful, almost serene atmosphere. Sitting on the bench was two women, both coated in fire yet not in any sort of pain. Both were ignoring the fire, almost as if it was a part of them. One was dressed in a red and blue suit with a cape whilst the other was in a yellow and green outfit. Once they were settled, one of the women broke the silence with her words.

"So, the short version of my story? I can do that, there should be enough time anyway. Well, it all started about, 20 years ago I believe" began the red and blue figure, the fire coating her taking the form of a phoenix now and then. "Well, at least in my dimension. I have existed since the dawn of time there, watching over everything and the earth, checking to make sure the solar system was relatively safe. The future was bright, technology always advancing. Humans were such interesting creatures, their life force is so attractive, but the wars they have is a big negative. I would love to be able to show them what to do, but I feared that they would use the information to create more war. Still, I was dedicated to watching this system and I did it with a vigilant eye. The future was worth it. They would expand to space and bring peace to the universe" She gave a reminiscent look, a smile on her face as the other figure nods her head.

"Anyways, about 20 years ago I sensed an alien being approaching my system. Now, usually alien beings avoid my system, simply because they view it as too young to visit, but this being wanted something, I think. Anyways, he entered the system and I could already feel how dangerous it was. Normally, I wouldn't have any trouble with an alien being entering my system, but somehow this thing managed to avoid my presence. By the time it entered the earth I had lost it." She gave a troubled look at that, shaking her head at the one that got away. The other figure places her hand on her shoulder and she gave a grateful look back.

"I was concerned about what it wanted, so I used a large part of my power to look into the time stream and watched the earth's potential future as it was. I saw the earth being destroyed by this being's reckless desire to harvest the world's resources. I couldn't allow that to happen so I spent time delving into each time stream to find the correct course of action." She paused as the other figure asked a question at that.

"Yes, I know such manipulations of the time stream could be dangerous, but it had to be done. I couldn't let humans be wiped out just for the sake of one alien being's greed. Anyways, I delved into the time stream and eventually I found a solution. Some human children would be born soon and their fates weren't set in stone yet. I made the decision to give them a fate, to stop this alien being. I know, changing someone's fate is a dangerous thing to do, but since these weren't set in stone it was relatively safer compared to changing someone's actual fate. I planted in all three a small part of my essence, giving me a link to them which I can use in the future to help empower them. The direction and logic into one boy who I will form as the Eagle, the emotion and reaction in another boy to temper the first one's logic, taking the form of a Condor and then the heart and soul in the girl who becomes the Swan. These three children would serve to take down this alien being and save the world and for a while I was proud."

"Then I found out what the alien being was doing. He had created an organisation, something to conquer the world so it could harvest what it wanted with no trouble. Disaster occurred and the Condor. Well, his parents worked for the organisation and were trying to leave into the care of the ISO. They, oh, you want to know what the ISO stands for?" Another question from the figure, but she was explaining her story and some things needed a bit more explaining than others.

"It stands for the International Science Organisation. Amazing right? The world has come together to further science and as such, has brought peace to most of the world with their advances in technology. Anyway, the organisation killed the Condor's parents but luckily an agent from the ISO managed to save him in time. He had trouble dealing with their deaths for a while, so one of the Doctors of the ISO, a Nambu took him in. A great man this doctor and someone I didn't heed to alter fate for since he was already working with it. He already had the Eagle under his care, so I decided to use him to form the group. I gave him the idea of training the children to eventually take out the organisation."

"I planted the idea of the Swan into his mind and he brought her back. What I didn't expect, was her to bring asmall child into the group. That shocked me and I was hesitant about what to do. Human kind had surprised me, yet again. She couldn't leave the child alone and she adopted him as her little brother. She clicked instantly with the team and the boys seemed to enjoy having a younger sibling to look after. I, admit I peeked into the time stream again to see what he would bring, but I believe Fate was working with me in that aspect." She looked thankful, eyes shining with delight.

"The child would bring innocence and fun to the group, helping them to get through the tough and hard times in their future. I thought about him being the Kestrel, but the doctor already had him in his plans for the team as the Swallow and yes, there was a reason I wanted to use birds for their aspects, but since then I've kind of just gotten used to the idea that I didn't change it. Anyway, I couldn't have everything in the world and fate did lend me a hand in this, so I let Nambu keep him as the Swallow." She paused here for a moment.

"The only thing now, was that the way to beat the organisation was mainly through a warship. He called it the God Phoenix. Not sure if he knew that I was meddling, but I did kinda like it. Still, that would require someone else to join. The others were needed to fight, well, except the Swallow but he wouldn't have the capabilities to fly such a thing, so I had to explore the world to find someone who would fit the mark. Someone else their age that could fit in." She swished her hand through the air in front of her, the flames lingering in place before taking on the appearance of the God Phoenix warship. "It will take a special person to fly my physical shell..."

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_**A/N:** This is not only my first fan fic (it's an experience trying to get the formatting to stay in place. I haven't perfected it just yet.), but the first part of my AU universe. The idea for this fic has been building up over the past few months until I just HAD to write it down, despite my current skills at writing stuff. It starts off in the Gatchaman Universe and will soon delve into another universe (I'm hoping to keep which secret until the final chapter of the next fic. Mystery ^^). I have big plans for this storyline, despite it being my first foray into fan-fic writing but the idea just won't leave me. Fortunately, I can do some storytelling, just don't expect it to be awesome. or particularly long. Please critique honestly, I want to know of any mistakes I've made whether it's spelling or grammer mistakes. I've proof read this multiple times, but it's reached the point that if I don't cut off from that soon, it won't ever appear. But please no pure flames. I'm delicate. Expect the next chapter in a couple of days._

_Update: I got the formatting sorted! Whee!_


	2. The Science Ninja team assembles

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gatchaman. If I did, I would change nothing._

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The Phoenix gave a large grin to the other woman. "That when I found him, Ryu. You may have found the perfect avatar, but I managed to find my soul mate." The flame clad figure gave a grin, despite the red blush covering her cheeks. "Anyways, I found him. He was still a child, but his soul, it was so pure and full of, well, I just can't explain it." She gives another blush at that. "As my presence got close, he gave a confused look and looked around. No one should be able to detect me, maybe a psychic could sense something, but he could feel my presence which no one has been able to do before. Our souls resonated in a way it has never done before and I could feel his desire for freedom."

Another question and this time she shook her head. "No, he wasn't in pain, but of boredom. His father was a fisherman, so he was being raised to take over the family business when he grew older, but he wanted to do something more, something exciting in his life than being a simple fisherman. He has even took part at his school's sumo wrestling club and was doing very well during the competitions simply because it was exciting. He was strong, took out the other boy pretty easily despite him being bigger than him. Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic here. This connection I felt with him was something I have not experienced before. I looked into the time stream again to see what his future held." Another comment at this caused her to blush further.

"Yes, I know. Damage done to the time stream and all that, but I had to know if he would work with my plan, consequences be damned and I'm glad I did do it. He would become a great pilot, both in the sea and in the sky, able to move my physical manifestation in ways no one else can. He had to join the team. I went back to Nambu and gave him the idea to research the area near his village. This did require me to alter a lot of people's minds for this to work. It was a lot of work but I was not taking any chances with this." She was blushing and paused for a moment, but was gestured to continue on with the story.

"Well, Nambu eventually came to the village a week later and was trying to hire someone to take him out to sea to do some research. The men were all busy so I placed the thought in his father to let Ryu take him out. Once they were out at sea, I started to put my plan into action. I had to be careful here, since I needed to perform delicate control to fully ensure Ryu was taken in whilst making sure no one gets too hurt. I used my power to create a whirlpool, enough power to cause a lot of problems but not enough to tip them overboard yet. I made sure to keep the pressure up, letting Ryu guide them to safety to the best of his abilities. I wanted him to demonstrate his improvisational techniques in a watercraft as well as how well he worked under pressure. Once I was sure Nambu had witnessed enough, I had a wave knock the boat over and then had the whirlpool dissipate. This was another risk I carefully maintained, this time to demonstrate his endurance by saving the doctor's life." She paused as another question was asked, before giving resuming her grin. "Ryu's heart is pure, so pure, that he would try to save an animal. To save a human, would be a given. I had no need to convince him to save the Doctor."

She puffed up with pride at that. "Anyway, Ryu saved Nambu and swam the length to a nearby island with the Doctor on a life preserver. I could sense Nambu's approval and impressed feelings to him, so I considered this a successful plan. By the time a rescue craft was sent out when they didn't return back in time, the Doctor was already explaining to him about certain things and had already requested he come with him to try out something as well as . Once they were back on the mainland and safe, Nambu talked to Ryu's father. He was hesitant, but accepted it on the account that he looks after him while he was there." She gave a proud look at this, before blushing again, the flames flaring up a little bit in response.

"I was a little worried that he wouldn't be accepted by the others. I'll admit I forgot to account for that, but he was a perfect fit into the dynamics of the group. The Eagle and Condor already had a small rivalry going on but it was clear the Eagle was the one with the plan. When Ryu joined, he became a follower. He was loyal to the group, friendly and helpful despite the Condors comments. He helped the Swan with the Swallow since he was still a toddler, demonstrating his experience with his own baby brother. He was a good foundation for the team, who already meshed well with one another. Anyone else and it would have been a disaster." She gives a bright smile at the memories, before shaking her head and focussing on the next part of the story.

"The problem came when he started doing some high speed training. After enough flexibility exercises and losing a bit of weight, he was introduced to the high-speed styles the other four members of the team used. Unfortunately, his sumo based body didn't really account for this, and he still can't perform some of the skills the others can perform. Luckily, Nambu came up with an alternative to his slower status on the team by supplementing his weaker speed style with overwhelming strength. Once he was being taught to combine the two, he became a lot more powerful for the team. They found out that with everyone else focussing on the speed part of combat, if something required more strength then he could be called in to help deal with it, like heavy objects or strong opponents that they can't hurt." She pauses here, working out what to say next.

"As it so happened, Nambu wanted him to stay on the God Phoenix as its pilot, so he was mostly safe and away from combat most of the time anyway. I think he didn't like that idea completely since he wanted to join the others but Nambu was insistent he remain on the ship until he was needed, either as a pilot of the muscle. He eventually relented, but he made a deal. He knew that if he was staying on the Phoenix most of the time, then he won't get injured nearly as often. So if it wasn't likely he would be injured, then having a better knowledge of First Aid will allow him to look after the team if they themselves were injured. Nambu accepted this alternative and the next day he was doing a crash course on basic first aid." She paused again, eye lighting up at a sudden thought.

"You may be wondering what bird was assigned to him. With the Eagle, Condor, Swan and Swallow taken, you're probably wondering what kind of theme I was going with. Heh, well this time, Nambu and I had the same line of thinking for Ryu. 'The one who would watch over the flock and take care of them' was what we thought. And there was one type of bird we both thought of, the Owl."

She paused for another moment, before her face adopts a more neutral appearance. "The time came for me to start the next phase of my plan. I delved my spirit and power into the warship Nambu had built. Although I did account for my power being a lot less than usual, I was surprised by exactly how much power I was restricted too. My connection with the team deteriorated almost completely, leaving me with few ways to interact with the. The main way I could connect to them was when they performed the Hinotori technique, a special function of the ship that required all 5 members of the team to be on board to perform. This gestalt form put a lot of pressure on them but that's due to the G-forces that they go under as well as their minds becoming one. The team each had a purpose in this form. The Eagles direction and logic would seek out the enemy and find their weak point. The Condor would drive the passion into my form, bringing more energy to strike down the enemy. The Swan would keep the other two in check as well as temper the Condor's rage. The Swallow kept them focussed on the enemy and helps maintain their innocence in the war. And the Owl, he would guide my wings, taking me to the enemy in a dance of fire and death that will eventually save all of human kind. My connection with the five was strong." She pauses here, before frowning. "But recent events have caused these connections to change recently." She gives a grin when the figure asks how.

"Last year, the organisation made their first public move. They called themselves Galactor and they specialise in using large machines to cause destruction wherever they go. Their aim was to conquer the world and obtain all the resources they needed. I believe the Alien being that arrived on the world 20 years ago is their ultimate leader. Anyway, several months ago they developed some kind of Aurora based ray that supressed human thought and placed an animal's mind over it. I'm not sure how it happened, but the ray affected the Owl, making him think he was a cat. You may or may not be aware of it, but animals have a stronger sense of perception than humans. When Nambu was affected by the ray, the team left Ryu alone for a brief moment. I should have been annoyed about that, but I saw it as my chance. I called to him, letting him know that there was a nice spot to take a nap on the ship. His feline mind followed my call, so predictable. When he arrived on the ship, I started to apply mental pressure, trying to use what power I could to try and return him back to normal. I was partially successful, but my physical form could only handle so much of my power before I damage the ship. He did manage to regain some human consciousness but he still had some cat based thoughts in his head, making it a jumbled mess." Her grin suddenly dropped as she remembered the after effects.

"The team found him again and were hopeful that the effects were temporary when they found him on the ship with some human sentience. Unfortunately, the Eagle and Condor took him back out to sea to try and make him remember what happened before he got changed. I couldn't affect him from such a distance, so all I could do was watch as the cat part of his mind started to take over again." She suddenly frowns momentarily. When the figure asks her if she was alright, she shrugged as if unsure. "The Condor managed to cure him somehow. He got so frustrated with the Owl that he punched him hard. He fell and hit his head on some equipment, zapping his head with electricity. I panicked and I'm fairly certain they panicked too. I was ready to give the Condor a headache he would never forget once he came back to the ship for hurting my Owl. Luckily for him, the electric shock actually helped clear his mind of the cat presence. He told them about the mecha and after they destroyed it, everyone returned to normal." She suddenly looks quite happy.

"I forgave the Condor for that once the after effects became known to me. I'm not sure what happened exactly, human minds are fairly delicate and fragile things, but ever since then I could sense the Owl's thoughts a lot more clearly than before and he could now start hearing mine if I really focus, even out of the Hinotori technique. It was nice change, being able to give out advice or warnings when I focus on our connection. We used it to our advantage every now and then."

She leans back on the bench, watching a bird fly by. She takes a deep breath, before letting it out. She then settles herself forward and puts on a serious face. "And then that event happened…"

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_**A/N:** The second part of the fic. This one details the team assembling into one unit to combat the Mighty Galactor. It also provides one of the first actual deviations from the episodes themselves. The episode that was changed was Gatchaman 1: Episode 34 - The Evil Aurora Operation. I always wondered when Ryu started to regain human sentience, despite being a Cat and it fit into my view of the universe. Yes, there is a reason for this. Which would be hinted at in the next chapter. ^^_

_Again, please critique honestly, I want to know of any mistakes I've made whether it's spelling or grammer mistakes. Since this is, technically my second fic I hope it's slightly better (despite being written at the same time as the previous chapter). Expect the next chapter in a couple of days. _

_Quick little note, been busy fiddling with the formatting so it should be a bit more presentable now ^^_

_Update: I got the formatting sorted! Whee!_


	3. Galactor's Clever plan

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gatchaman. If I did, I would change nothing._

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"It was a routine mission…" She began. The fire that encased her form flared up a bit, reacting to the surge of emotion of the events that caused all this to begin. "Nambu had the Science Ninja team assemble and yes, that's what they're called. Anyway, they assembled in the God Phoenix and took off while Nambu gave them their orders. Galactor was attacking some desert town with this wolf-like mecha, which they tend to vary throughout the war with them. The initial plan to stop it was from the Condor, who like usual figured the best solution was to launch a couple of Missiles at it. That plan went up in smoke once they found out that there was some kind of force field preventing the missiles from impacting it. The next plan was from the Eagle. He spotted some birds flying through the field with no problem so he figured out that non-electronic materials could get through the field. So Ryu flew as close to the force field as possible and let the other four members of the team drop down to infiltrate it from the mechas blind spot. Once done, he flew interference for a bit to distract the mecha. Once they were all on board safely, the Eagle ordered my Owl to evacuate the area and land somewhere safe, then to wait for the pickup orders." She gives a shake of her head then.

"It became routine there. Ryu complained a little bit about being left behind and out of all the action, before deciding to settle for a quick nap. He usually does complain a little at being left behind but most of the time there is a valid reason. The God Phoenix is completely manual, so there is no way for it to get an auto-pilot and Ryu has tried pushing for an auto-pilot to be installed but with Galactor constantly hacking into the communication systems, no one really wants to risk it until they come up with a way to create one safely. Anyway, about 5 minutes later we get contacted by the Eagle. That is unusually fast, most of the time it takes somewhere between 10 to 20 minutes for them to locate the engine room or control room, set some explosives or activate the self-destruct. It was then when my sensors picked up something worrying. Ryu activated the jets and took to the skies in an emergency take-off and I found out exactly why he did that and what I was sensing. A lot of small jets were approaching our position, with half of the Wolf mecha as well. It was a trap, the real target was us." She gives a brief growl, the fiery aura flaring up.

"As the wolf Mecha got closer, it shot out a missile from its mouth before the ear launched off and away, which was most likely Berg Katse. The Eagle was explaining things while fighting it seems, but we were both focussing on the large missile that was fast approaching us." She gives a sad look now. "Apparently Galactor had the mecha built as something that can split in half. They wanted a mecha that can attack the God Phoenix, but also take the infiltrating team away from the battle to prevent them helping. Without the full gestalt, the God Phoenix couldn't use the Hinotori and there was a limited amount of bird missiles we could use. That meant that we didn't have many options for us." She gave a sad sigh.

"So we started evasion techniques, trying to avoid the missile as well as the small jet's weapons. Unfortunately, the missile was following us so it was homing on us somehow. The Eagle explained that this missile is similar to one we took on before, how it was tracking us by heat and that he should do the same tactics they did last time. Ryu had to both keep up evasive manoeuvres as well as explain to the Eagle that he had small jets attacking him that was providing an effective distraction from doing that. The Eagle cursed on the other end as Ryu dodged a group of small missiles from the jets whilst banking hard to the side. Last time we encountered this type of missile, Ken had Ryu fly us into the clouds to cool the ship, before banking off and flying close to the mecha. Once we were close enough, we flew past while the missile switched targets with the hotter mecha." She shook her head.

"Ken told Ryu to fly close to the other mecha to pick them but there were several problems with that plan. Ryu told Ken that getting to the other mecha was impossible. On top of the G-forces the group would have to face when trying to land on the ship without getting flung off or crushed against the hull, the small jets could take shots at them while they were vulnerable and the homing missile was worryingly close to us." She gave a sigh. "The cloud tactic was out as well. By the time we would manage to get high enough to cool the ship, the jets would have been hitting us with enough missiles to heat us back up again. Flying to the ocean was out since we were in the middle of a desert and would take several minutes of high-speed flying to get to it." She slumped down, remembering the event in question and the fear she felt for her Owl as well as some disappointment.

"Ryu lost his hope afterwards and started to reminisce about his past. He remembered his little brother, then his father and then the team. He apologised to Ken that he wasn't good enough to save them all. I heard him loud and clear, as did Ken who was currently telling him to not give up. I'm telling you, hearing Ryu say that, it tore at my heart and soul hearing that defeat in his voice. I was sad that he felt that way, but also disappointed that he gave up so easily." She then looked up at the other figure, the fire surrounding her began flaring up with more energy as her eyes shone with determination. "It was then I knew I had to do something. I called out to him, pouring all my emotion and determination at helping him to survive into one phrase. Don't give up." She started smiling now.

"He heard me loud and clear and realised that he wasn't alone. His face then shone with determination as he started pulling all sorts of levers and buttons, activating and deactivating various systems in order to pour on more speed. His face then lit up, suddenly coming up with a plan. We then took off eastwards, further inland but also to a large, mountainous region. His plan was to launch a bird missile at the mountain-side, causing it to heat up before flying behind it and hoping it would hit the mountain rather than follow us." She gave a sad grin here.

"It kinda worked. Our bird missile flew into the mountain-side, colliding and causing a large explosion and several fires. Ryu pulled the ship up and over the mountain before setting the God Phoenix to hover on the other side to cool off in the dozen or so seconds until the missile hit the mountain. The mountain was thick and he was pretty sure we were safe. What we didn't expect though was the force of the explosion. Galactor really wanted to destroy us, enough so that the missile was a nuclear device rather than a simple missile. The other side of the mountain was most likely vaporised and the side we were on was crumbling from the force, but the shockwave hit the God Phoenix causing us to pitch and turn. Ryu tried to control us, but boulders started raining down and hit our engine, causing the rear of the God Phoenix to explode and spiral down to the valley below. Looking up, the sky was dark with debris but it had a worrying red tint that told me that the area was radioactive now. Ryu was going to die, either from the crash or the radiation."

She had fire burning in her eyes now, the outline of the phoenix now surrounding her due to her strong emotions. "I wouldn't have any of it. I loved my owl too much to let him die like that. He was resigned to his fate of death and had made peace with himself. Well, I had my mind made up as well. I called for help. Anyone for help. I let my power echo throughout the multiverse, letting my plea echo throughout the multiverse…"

She paused then, looking at the other women who mirrored her own knowing expression. "And then you answered.I heard you call out to me and then felt your power reach towards me, through the dimensional barriers. The Hinotori activated, surrounding us with my power as it responding to yours as you pulled us through the barrier. You saved him and for that, I thank you. If you didn't pull us through then, Ryu and the God Phoenix would have been destroyed. We were safe. At least, for a brief moment we were safe." She watched as the other figure grew a bit sheepish. "We didn't appear here, but over a river instead. The air rippled behind us as the Phoenix fell towards the water, the Hinotori fading away. Ryu was on the throes of unconsciousness, not expecting the pressure of traversing dimensional barriers along with the Hinotori activating as well. When we hit the water, the ship flipped twice before sinking. We were alive, although Ryu was now unconscious. We pretty much left the frying pan and fell into the freezer."

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_**A/N:** Part 3 of the fic. This is one time when Galactor actually has a cunning plan and implements it, partially successfully. A little sad at the lack of reviews but meh. I've got it down and it's going to be completed. One more chapter and then I'll start on the next part of the series._

___Again, please critique honestly, I want to know of any mistakes I've made whether it's spelling or grammer mistakes. Since this is, technically my third fic, I'm fairly certain that it's slightly better (despite being written at the same time as the previous chapter). Expect the next chapter in a couple of days. Chapter 4 should be the last one._


	4. Rescue from the River

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Gatchaman. If I did, I would change nothing._

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She gave a sigh. Stretching and then standing up, the flames were now calm again. "Well, it wasn't exactly the freezer. But we still sank. Like a rock. A big blue and red, burnt and battered rock with small traces of radiation scalded onto the hull along with the rear half of the ship missing. We kept sinking until we hit the bottom of the river and settled there, which roused Ryu enough to bring him back to consciousness. He was bleeding a bit from under the helmet, what from I'm not sure but he was still alive and breathing. Sure, he was dazed as hell and had no idea what happened but he was alive. Once he gathered his wits about him, he tried activating the thrusters but as we know, the rear of the ship was in tatters so that wasn't going to do anything. He wanted to go check the engine room, but as he approached the turbo-lift, he saw that water was pouring from the top of it which meant that the water level was rising inside the ship. With nothing working and water leaking in, he activated a brief diagnostics while he started securing the bulkheads manually. It took a little bit of time, especially since the bulkheads are naturally stiff but it was designed so that the team could close them if needed with a bit of effort. Ryu was still dazed and shaky so he was having some difficulties in closing them. By the time he closed it, diagnostics was finished." She gave a sigh, shaking her head.

"Remember what I said about escaping the frying pan and entering the Freezer? How we escaped a nuclear explosion, a mountain falling on us and an out of control flight path. Well now we were stuck underwater, the rear thrusters destroyed and the engine room was completely flooded and was leaking into other parts of the God Phoenix. If he didn't secure the bulkheads within the next hour or so, then, the pressure would have eventually broken through and flooded the room. Luckily, the God Phoenix was designed to be fully submersible and had a lot of insulated and protected wiring. We had every function still working, except the engine. He sent out an emergency broadcast on an ISO frequency and set about checking to see what was working and what wasn't. The radar did detect several ships closing in on our position but since they were unmarked, we weren't too optimistic about whom they were but with us dead in the water there wasn't much he could do. He decided to settle in and wait it out and boy was that a mistake." She shook her head.

"The God Phoenix was designed to dump heat rather than retain it, since it did a lot of high-speed flying and manoeuvres especially since it was designed to go fiery and had to cool down quickly. So with no engines running the ship was basically dumping heat without generating any, making the place get cold really fast. He was shivering now, the emergency blanket doing little to help out and his bird-style wasn't the warmest thing to be wearing. To give you a clue, I'm technically wearing it as well." She spread her arms, exposing her red and blue bird-style that was similar to the God Phoenix's colours. "Yeah, not exactly great underwater wear is it, especially in a freezing situation? So, combined with his slightly dazed state, the risk of him falling asleep was immense and he may not wake up from it." She pauses for a moment, before looking to the distance. She then puts on a knowing grin appeared and shook her head when the other figure asked a question.

"I'll tell you once I've finished, I'm almost done anyway. So back to our story. I did the only thing I could do to help. I wrapped my presence around him and set about trying to invoke feelings of warmth. It worked, kind of. Our connection was stronger than expected and I could swear we were doing our own version of the Hinotori state, but he was shivering a lot less so I didn't care, I just kept holding him close and speaking about warmth and beaches. He managed to stay awake, I was really helping in a way. Until we were boarded." She gave a sad shake of the head.

"The relief we both felt was immense when proximity alerts warned us about non-ISO members were on board the ship. This was when his guard slipped. Relaxed at the thought of being saved, or killed if they were Galactor he closed his eyes for a moment and started to rest. By the time I could sense several humans enter the ship and approaching our position, he was fast asleep despite me trying to wake him up. I had no way of defending him since my powers were too weak to affect physical beings yet. I tried sensing their presence, which told me that they were weary but not too aggressive. They apparently already knew about Ryu being on board already and they didn't have Galactors aura at all. By the time they reached the cabin and wrenched the bulkhead open, much to my shock, they had a group of guards and medics enter. A medic began checking over my Owl as some guards and what looked like a robot started examining the ship. The medic removed his helmet to examine where the bleeding was whilst covering him with another blanket they brought with them. They mentioned something about exhaustion, possibly a concussion, some minor burns and hypothermia before ordering him to be taken to medical straight away, which they did kinda made sense. The Hinotori is stressful under ideal circumstances, entering a dimensional rift, on his own must have been exhausting. Combined with me focussing on getting us through quickly he must of felt the heat burning him rather than the effect being reduced." She gave a helpless shrug.

"I couldn't do anything else, so I parted my essence from the God Phoenix so I could watch what was happening to Ryu. I saw them taking the ship up to the surface before flying up and onto a large, flying ship, which then took him to the ship's infirmary to receive medical attention. Once I was sure he was safe, I decided to do a bit of exploring. I found such alien things in the world, stuff that shouldn't exist or should exist but was, different somehow. As I kept expanding my senses, I felt something lightly touch my essence. It was you and, well, you know the rest."

She stops there for a moment, gives another stretch and a sigh before turning to the other figure. "So that's my story on what has happened, and now you…" She pauses, before glancing off into the distance again.

The flame clad figure tilts her head in confusion again. "Well, that's the end of the story. So why are you looking that way again?"

Phoenix shakes her head and turns to leave. "He woke up a few moments ago, none worse for wear but I just sensed his presence again and it's tinged with regret and urgency. He needs me now. Farewell sister, we will meet up again someday, I'm sure of it." With a flare of red energy, she leaves the flame-clad figures mind and returns to the God Phoenix. Her spiritual essence getting around undetected, speeding all the way to the flying ship that currently had her physical shell on its deck in a matter of seconds.

As she re-enters the physical shell, she briefly connected with Ryu's mind, who was currently seated on his seat and reviewing the diagnostics he has apparently re-ran while she was away. Sifting through his memories to find his most recent ones, she gave a sigh upon witnessing what he saw. She couldn't examine the people's minds here, only the Science Ninja team's minds were capable of being read by her, so she only had their auras to go off by and now that she could do a quick check, she confirmed that Ryus thinking was pretty much correct. Curiosity and desire, tinged with anger and fear at what the Owl has done.

She watched her Owl utter a prayer before asking for her forgiveness for what he was about to do. She responded with all the reassurance she could muster. "You're forgiven…"

He pauses then, looking around in confusion. There wasn't much time left according to his mental countdown, so she spoke again. "Fly Owl!" He shook his head and stepped onto the bubble platform and let it rise up, his thoughts flying between what he's doing, his memories of the God Phoenix and the team. She could feel him want no, need reassurance. They weren't anywhere near home, so Gatchaman won't be coming to save him. So she made a decision that will change his life in the future.

"I will always be with you, my Owl…" With that vague statement complete, she splits off a portion of her power, sending some of it through the closing rift and to the next God Phoenix that Nambu will create to combat Galactor, the power of the Hinotori going to them. The main part of her power, her essence included was fully separated from the broken ship. Her power flared up slightly as she delves into his mind, his form shimmered in fire for a brief moment before settling, leaving him confused, despite leaping off the bubble and down onto the deck of the ship...

Until the day she was needed, she would stay in his conscience, waiting for the time when a suitable container was found or when she was needed. Until then, she'll take a brief nap. All this energy expenditure by helping to protect the ship when traversing the dimensional barrier and protecting her owl sure exhausted her.

Yes, rest sounds really good...

* * *

_**A/N:** The final chapter of the fic, done and dusted. So how was it? Probably a little rushed in places, little to no beta-reading (dunno who can beta-read so meh) and a fairly peaceful response (no flames means it was not crap, so yay! Although no Reviews means it wasn't that compelling. Oh well). _

_This chapter ties this fic with my next one, which, interesting piece of trivia, is actually chapter 1 of the series according to my draft notes (This is technically the prequel, but it was more well-written compared to the original that it got published first, so it's not a prequel despite it being one), once it's been finished with the draft, updated to story-wise and then proof-read several times it'll be posted. Also, hints at what's going to come in the future in the series (which was actually one reason why the storyline is like this to begin with). I'll probably will post a review chapter at the beginning of the next fic, just to summarise the important information parted from this fic for that one (not really needed but I want to)._

_Again, please critique honestly, I want to know of any mistakes I've made whether it's spelling or grammer mistakes. As this fic was in the final proof-read part of the posting, the next fic will come up either next week or a week after. I already have the draft done and am just converting rough lines to actual storyline._


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